Community Roundup: PCMS students collect 200 cans of food for community

Port Clinton Middle School collects 200 cans of food for community

PORT CLINTON - Port Clinton Middle School Builders Club and Student Council organized the annual PCMS Two Cans for 2K event.  The two groups, led by advisers Grace Mutti and Kerry Fial, teamed up to collect more than 200 cans of food for the local food bank and over 100 student race participants.

The fastest girl and boy in each grade level were: Grade six - Isabella Adkins and Dylan Reynolds; Grade Seven - Thea Wybsinger and Grady Northrop; and Grade Eight - Anaiya Parriot and Charlie Simpson.

There was a new Two Cans for 2K record as Charlie Simpson broke and set a new course record of 7:28.  The Two Cans for 2K is a tradition at PCMS where students bring in two non-perishable food items to participate in the 2K run or walk.  See more news from Port Clinton City Schools at www.pccsd.net or facebook.com/portclintonschools.

Ottawa County 4-H Advisory Committee receives AgCredit grant

FOSTORIA - AgCredit, one of northern Ohio’s largest lenders for farmers, rural homeowners and agribusiness, announced that it is awarding $121,000 in Mission Fund grants to 23 community organizations in support of their efforts to improve the quality of life in communities primarily within the cooperative’s 18-county service territory.

Ottawa County 4-H Advisory Committee was a recipient of this year’s Mission Fund Grant, which was $3,000. They will use the grant to purchase supplies to create educational kits for their school enrichment programs.

Now in its fifth year, the Mission Fund supports AgCredit’s commitment to investing in the future of agriculture and positively impacting the quality of life in rural Ohio. Recipients were selected based on their proposals to meet criteria in one or more of four key areas: Education, environment, technology and quality of rural life.

Bellevue Hospital tapped for Best Emergency Care

BELLEVUE – The Bellevue Hospital (TBH) has been named one of America’s Best Hospitals for Emergency Care by the Women’s Choice Award, America’s trusted referral source for the best in health care. The award signifies that TBH is in the top 9% of 4,729 U.S. hospitals offering emergency care services.

“This award demonstrates our ongoing commitment to provide our community quality care, close to home,” said Timothy Buit, TBH’s president and chief executive officer. “We are so proud of this accomplishment and would not have achieved this exceptional recognition without the support of our entire TBH Family including our board of trustees, medical staff, employees and volunteers.”

Each year, there are more than 130 million emergency room visits in the U.S. Emergency departments continue to be an essential part of the health care system as they provide fast, life-or-limb saving care to millions each year. Unlike other hospital departments that interact with the same patient and families for an extended period, ER staff typically has one patient encounter, often when anxiety and fear is at its peak.

CMP welcomes new board chair and CEO Gerald O'Keefe

PORT CLINTON - Gerald O’Keefe, former Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Board Vice Chairman, has recently assumed the role of Chairman and CEO – following the retirement of previous Chairman Judy Legerski this year. Legerski had been a member of the board since the organization’s privatization in 1996 and led as Chairman/CEO for over a decade.

Mr. O’Keefe’s occupancy of the position officially began in September 2022. During his tenure, he plans to leverage the ideas and talent of both the workforce and the Board to build on the many successes of the organization. He is open to exploring modern, innovative approaches where it may benefit the organization, while staying true to the core mission and values that have defined CMP over its 26-year history.

“I’ve set a number of priorities for both my roles as the Chairman and CEO, but at a more strategic level, what I’d really like to do is simply to continue to further the CMP’s core mission of promoting marksmanship,” he said. “And with that, to set the standard for training, marksmanship safety and getting more youth into the sport – teaching them marksmanship fundamentals and safety.”

O’Keefe joined the CMP Board of Directors in September 2019 following a prominent government career. A West Point graduate, he served 27 years of active duty before transitioning into a Department of the Army Senior Executive. He culminated his government service as the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army, a historical position, as well as the Senior Career Civilian in the Army.

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Community Roundup: PCMS students helps community with Two Cans for 2K